Chapter 56 Preparing for the Ambush

The Third Prince's Mansion.

General Li wore a tense expression, his eyes frequently darting toward the Third Prince.

He had come straight to the Third Prince's residence the moment the morning court session concluded.

That fief assigned to Zhou Hao was truly utter garbage!

If they didn't intercept and slaughter him completely halfway there, were they really expected to let him keep his silver and throw it into Chishan, a place with a completely invisible future?

That would be equivalent to throwing silver straight into the water for nothing!

That would be a devastating loss!

"Third Prince, you know what kind of place Chishan is. If we don't seize this opportunity now, we will never find another good time to kill him."

General Li’s gaze was stern, his eye sockets bloodshot.

Every single person Zhou Hao had killed consisted of his own trusted confidants!

Many of those trusted aides hadn't even been given a chance to retract their confessions before Zhou Hao executed them right in the dungeons.

If it weren't for the backing of the Third Prince, he wouldn't even be able to hold onto his position as general right now.

He could only watch helplessly as his subordinate generals gradually marginalized and hollowed out his power.

Yet the Third Prince was not in the slightest bit hurried; instead, he looked at General Li with a calm expression.

"What is there to panic about? panicking serves no purpose whatsoever."

As his voice trailed off, the Third Prince gently tapped the armrest of his chair, a look of contemplation crossing his features.

This matter was quite troublesome indeed.

An ambush was certainly desirable; the Third Prince even wished he could chop off Zhou Hao's head and use it as a chamber pot.

The problem, however, lay in where to stage the ambush, how many troops to bring, and what kind of pretext to use.

One had to bear in mind that Zhou Hao was now the Grand General's son-in-law, and troop movements could hardly be orchestrated without bypassing the Grand General.

Moreover, at a critical juncture like this, mobilizing troops in private or displaying any abnormal troop movements would naturally alert the Grand General.

Should that happen, not only would the ambush fail, but this lackey would also be thrown straight into a cell.

After pondering for a moment, the Third Prince slowly spoke.

"Tell me first, how many troops can you mobilize?"

"How trustworthy are these men? Can you guarantee that after the First Prince is eliminated, not a single person will leak the secret?"

This matter was of the utmost importance. If even basic confidentiality could not be maintained, the Grand General would inevitably retaliate with vengeance.

Even if Emperor Zhou tried to shield him, his own future succession to the throne would never be secure.

The Third Prince had to weigh the Grand General's reaction; he could not simply fixate on the gold and silver jewels in the First Prince's possession.

What use were those things? Once he ascended the throne as emperor, all the gold and silver under the heavens would belong to him!

"Judging by the current situation... we can deploy five hundred men. As for the common foot soldiers among them, they can simply be eliminated on the spot right after the ambush."

"The subordinate officers who remain will be able to keep their mouths shut. I can guarantee that much."

General Li naturally possessed connections and capability within the military.

Relying solely on the Third Prince's factional influence, it would have been utterly impossible for him to secure the rank of general under the Grand General's overwhelming prestige.

Yet looking at it now, this force was truly somewhat meager.

Five hundred men—what could they possibly accomplish? It was doubtful they could even breach the defense lines assigned by the Grand General.

The Third Prince furrowed his brows deeply and raised two fingers.

"Two thousand men. I want you to lead two thousand men and slaughter everyone in the First Prince's convoy until not a single soul remains. Can you do it?"

Two thousand?

General Li’s eyes widened in disbelief, barely comprehending what the Third Prince was saying.

He could pull together two thousand men, but how many of them could truly be trusted?

If even a single person leaked word to the Grand General's camp, his official career would be completely ruined forever.

"This... Third Prince, raising that many troops is rather difficult, and moreover, it simply isn't safe."

At this point, General Li was already sitting on pins and needles.

He was greedy, but he was not stupid.

The Third Prince was clearly intending to ensure that he did not survive either.

Why else would he demand such an exorbitant number of men with an open mouth?

Was it not precisely to pin the entire affair squarely on him and ensure the Third Prince's own hands remained clean?

"I am not discussing this with you; I am issuing a concrete order. Just tell me whether you can do it or not."

The Third Prince let out a cold snort, a look of guarded caution surfacing in his eyes.

Once General Li completed this ambush, he would be completely useless.

His head could then be handed over to the Grand General to appease the latter's fury.

Through his recent matches of wits against Zhou Hao, the Third Prince had realized something regarding his convenient eldest brother:

He could not afford to confront him directly; instead, he had to strike from the shadows.

Otherwise, if it came down to a fierce, bloody clash, the one who would ultimately suffer the trouble would undoubtedly be himself.

General Li froze for a moment, then shook his head, a deep sense of despair emerging in his eyes.

He truly had not expected that one day he would become nothing more than a discarded chess piece.

"General Li, you must understand where your position as general came from, and you must also understand that you only have this one path left to walk."

The Third Prince's expression was gloomy, and the look he cast at General Li was far from amiable.

Most of General Li's compromising secrets were held firmly in the Third Prince's hands.

Given Emperor Zhou's level of indulgence toward the Third Prince, the moment those incriminating secrets were handed over, General Li would likely face the execution of his entire clan—or perhaps an even more severe punishment.

General Li dared not resist, nor did he dare defect to the Grand General.

What good would defection do anyway?

As long as those dark secrets remained in existence, General Li could accomplish nothing.

"This subordinate obeys the command. Once the First Prince's convoy sets out, I shall lead the troops in pursuit and carry out the ambush once we reach a secluded location."

The Third Prince suddenly let out a harsh scoff.

"Foolish. You should depart earlier—tomorrow, process your departure through the Grand General's camp following proper procedures."

"At that time, find whichever route is the mandatory path for the First Prince and lay your ambush there."

"Set out on the exact same day the First Prince leaves? Do you genuinely believe the Grand General will simply let you go, or is it that you already harbor treasonous thoughts in your heart?"

The Third Prince's gaze was venomous, looking at General Li as if he were already a dead man.

Having served as his white-gloved fixer for so long, could he not even figure out something this simple?

Those who performed dirty work for the imperial house were destined to die in the end.

Because you knew too much, and the more you knew, the more apprehensive they would become of you.

Realizing his scheme had been exposed, General Li managed a bitter laugh, his expression tinged with sorrow.

"This subject will go find the Grand General right now and use a plausible excuse to leave the imperial capital."

"Hold on. This is my written mandate. Show this to the Grand General, and he will let you leave."

The Third Prince casually picked up a wooden box from the table and handed it directly to General Li.

The route specified on this document ran in a completely opposite direction to Chishan.

As long as General Li took this mandate to the Grand General and subsequently succeeded in the ambush...

Then this entire incident would be General Li's affair alone.

The Third Prince had clearly instructed you to go elsewhere; why on earth would you fixate on the First Prince?

General Li had no way to explain, nor could he articulate an answer.

The moment he laid eyes on that box, he already had his answer.

He was doomed to die this time; whether it was the First Prince or the Third Prince, both wanted him dead.